Press Release

In Gordons honor, the Players Trust contributes $10,000 each to the Childrens Hospital of Illinois and National Parkinson Foundation

MLBPA Press Release

NEW YORK -- In a pregame ceremony Friday night, Chicago White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham will receive a prestigious Players Choice Award as 2009 AL Outstanding Rookie. Paul Konerko, Gordons teammate and a member of the MLBPAs Executive Board, will represent his American League peers in presenting the award to Gordon.

Selected in a secret ballot of all Major League players, Gordon earned a Players Choice Award by finishing the 2009 season with 14 home runs, 63 RBI, 28 doubles and a .270 batting average in 103 games. Drafted by Chicago in the 2008 June draft, Gordon attended the University of Georgia, where he finished the 2008 season tied for first among NCAA Division I home-run leaders (28) and was second in runs (97) and total bases (221).

In Gordons honor, the Major League Baseball Players Trust has awarded $10,000 grants each to the Childrens Hospital of Illinois and the National Parkinson Foundation. 2009 Players Choice Award winners in all categories will designate charities to receive grants totaling $260,000 from the Players Trust. Since 1992, the Players Trust has recognized the outstanding on-field and off-field performances of Players Choice Awards winners by contributing nearly $3 million to charities around the world.

Through the Players Trust, Major Leaguers contribute their time, money and celebrity to call attention to important causes affecting the needy and to help encourage others to get involved in their own communities. In partnership with Volunteers of America, the national human service organization, the Players Trust administers the Action Team, a national youth volunteer program currently inspiring the next generation of volunteers in more than 150 high schools in cities throughout the United States. For more information on the Major League Baseball Players Trust, please visit www.MLBPLAYERS.com and http://www.youtube.com/mlbplayerstrust.

The Players Choice Awards winners (Outstanding Pitchers, Rookies, Comeback Players, Player of the Year and the Marvin Miller Man of the Year) were selected by secret ballot of all Major League baseball players, under the supervision of accounting firm KPMG.

The Major League Baseball Players Association (www.MLBPLAYERS.com) is the collective bargaining representative for all professional baseball players of the 30 Major League Baseball teams and serves as the exclusive group licensing agent for commercial and licensing activities involving active Major League baseball players. On behalf of its members, it operates the Players Choice licensing program and Players Choice Awards, which benefit the needy through the Major League Baseball Players Trust, a charitable foundation established and run entirely by Major League baseball players. Please visit the Players Trust Channel on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/mlbplayerstrust.